Sassy or Trashy: Short Shorts

"Social networking is an incredibly effective tool for elected officials—if properly used. It has the ability to not only open lines of communication but also to strengthen the relationships with your audience," Fritchey told Chicagoist, which has a nice mash up of some choice Facebook threads.

"But the key is that it be genuine. My friends, personal and political, know that I write everything on my blog, post all my own Facebook material and do my own tweets, so they know that they're not only hearing from me, but hearing it in my own words."

"I think that a lot of elected officials aren't real comfortable with the idea of showing the amount of candor that I do online, but I think that for the most part, my followers appreciate it," Fritchey continued. "At the end of the day, it's a fun and easy way to show your human side, which a lot of people forget that elected officials have."